Bright & Co.

Rufns Lynde had just got conifortably settled iu his new store. The window (it had only one, being- well, not a large store) was, after much thought and experimenting, arranged to his satisfaction- - tlie bright-colored scarfs and oravats and neckties forming a sort of rainbow against the somber background of black ones ; the packages of kid gloves, showing the tips of their many-hned fingere at the ends of their gilt and white wrappers ; the gaudiest silk handkerchiefs flying like jolly young flags nbout the dozen or twootherartiflespertaining to the masculine wardrobe which, in admirable taste and order, were group'ed below them - when his one clerk, who was also errand boy and several other. things - in f act, engaged for "geiieral utility," as they say in the dramatic profession - rashed in, with a face, every feature of which said, as plainly as words, " important news !" Bixfus looked at him a moment. " What is it, Fred ?" he asked, at last. " One hundredandthirty-mx ís taken," said Fred, pausing to give duo effect to whatever fnrther communication he liad to make. " Well?" queried his employer. " Same business as ourn, gent's furnishing," continued Fred. y jom "Don't say 'ourn,' and don't say 'gents,' " said Rufus, in his surprise relapsing for a moment into his oíd role of teacher. " Well, 'tis," said Fred, sulkily. " The deuoe it is ?" exclaimed Rufus, resuming the character of the man of business, as he threw down the oollars he had been assorting, and walked moodily to the door. Before the next store, which had been vacant for a long time, stood a heavily laden cart. Two men were unloading and carrying in boxes and cases the same shape and size as thoso which had contained his own goods. A tiill, ratlier rough looking young man was superinteuding, and a boy - evidently "general utility," likc Fred - was darting hither and thithcr with a great pretenso of renderiug valuable assistauoc. Rxifus stepped out on the sidewnlk, whistling carelessly and becoming at ouee very much intorested in an over-worked horse that had fallen across the car track, bilt as the horsc was helped to his fcet by a sympathizing crowd he slowly turned and carne in agaiu, giviug as he passed a comprehensivo glancc at tlio neighboriug establishment. Every pane in the window - it also liad only one window - shone liko n overgrown diamond, and in each corner was already placed, on a pretty walnut stand, a pot of ivy, the dark green vines climbing the gray-papered wall, wliile the scarlet flowers of a flourishing geranium smiled gayly in the sunshine. A sign above the door, beside which the modest one bearing his name looked like a dwarf beside a giant, bore in great glitteriug letters the inscriiation, Bright&Co." " Groing in for combining poetry with busiuesH. 'Twon't pay," said Rufus, referring to the ivy and geranium, as he slammed his own door béhind him, and, seating himself at his desk, took up the morniug paper, but not to read. He hnd lost all interest in the political situation ; all he did was to gaze vacantly at the printed sheet and think about his nvak tobe- "Bright&Co." " This neighborhood wou't support us both, that's sure," he said. "Itmust be a hand-to-hand fight until one is left victor. Too bad ! to bad ! Here's sister Fan nicely married, and mother as comfortable and happy as can be in her little rooms around the corner, and I thought I saw smooth sailing before me at last. After teaching school five long years away out West, besides keeping books for people and copying law documents far into the night, to say nothing of living like a miser all the time, on purpose to sav.' money euough to start in business in niy native city - to have a fellow set up right next door in the very same business, it's too much ;" and Rufus shook his head at the frowning face that looked at him fronvthe mirror that hung opposite. A young face, and not a disagreeable one (on the contrary, quite an agreeable one when minus the scowl), surmounted by waving locks of bright auiurn - some people cali them red - and lighted by a pair of spnrkling real blue eyes. Nose aquiline, mustache to m:itch tlie hair, ïnonth lnrge and not o vei-y ngly, and tlie chin - well, pephftpg ii' tlie dliiii liad 1).pii a ti'ifle npre pioiuinent, and the hair a shade less- ' bmii, Rnfus might have possessed more liopefulneBB and a better temper, 'ïhat very evcmuig nioh is the j iptnoy of WBn-iu spite of bifl ffl ' tion tliat "that sort oí tliiiig didn't pay," Rufus bouglit at the nearest floist's two Madeira Vine, a smilax, and a f icy carnation pink, and the next morng there they were sweutly blooming liis window, when the tall, rathei rough-looking youug man who hac been overseeing the oarmen the day bof ore carne brÍHlsíy in. "Mr. Lynde?" said he. Rnfus bowed stifflyi " Called to see if you'd let me take a look at the arrangement of your window froüi the inside - capital effect outside. How do yon manage'? I don'i know much about such tliings myself " ' Whát eool impertmence ! " thought Ritfus. And tlieu ho said, in an icy manner and in an icy tone, " I'nl afraid yon won 't be taugh't here, sir. It costs me time, thought and patience to produce the ' capital effect ' of which you Rpeak. You must use your own brains. Miue are not at your service. " " Oh ! is that the way you feel f" said the yoting man with a chuckle. " Well, I gtiess Bright & Co. can do without you;" and he dis'appeared as suddenly as he carne.' And apparently " Bright & Co."could, for in two or three hours the shop winuow of that enterprising ñrm buret upon the admiring gaze of the passer-by likc a wli oio garden of flowers. Sucli a delicate mingling of shades and skiliful combination of colol's had never been m a shop wimlow befofe - at least not in that avenue. Daxk purple scarfs and ribboüB prettily intwinêd with those of pulo yellow; smoking cape gay in crinisons and golds, and blues nnd puffs, and scarlets and greens; bows of every hue, looking like a flock of gigantic butterflies cllnging to a carpet of dark brown velvet; beautiirdly embroidered slippers; silkenandsatinwateh fobs of many fantastic shapes; pipeholders quaint and gracefnl ia design, and iifty other tbings Eufus had never thought of, ' ' but which women will be just fools tSiongh to buy and give to men," he said to hiinself, bitterly - shone from his neighbor's window. Poor fellow ! That gorgeous window eompletely eclipsed his own, and he saw, with a heortache, the people pass his door day after day and enter the more attractive store of Bright & Co. A week went by, during which Mr. Lynde refused the loan of a hammer - they had mislaid theirs- to his rreighbors, kicked their cat (it was a very gentle kiek, and intended more for a hint than anything else) when she chased a flyiug rat into his store and under his counter, and Fred had a rough and tumble fight with theboy, " 'cause he swept all the dirt of bis own sidewalk on to OHl'll. " Then, one uncommonly bright and pleasant Monday morning, as Rufus, refreshed by the Sabbath rest, was coming down the street, humming" an old hymn tune which his mother - -good old Methodist - was fond of singing, and happily forgetful for the moment of all life's careu and vexatious, his eye was eaught by an unusual glare at the very top of "Bright & Co. 's" building. Amanimoth sign had been placed there, calling attention in enormously fat letters of the guiltiest gilt - large enoughtobe seen at least half a mileaway - to the bnsiness of that wonderfully and aggravatingly goahead ñrm; and that sign trespassed at ler.st two inches on his own premises. Kufus ceased humming, scowled, quickened his steps, entered his store, seatod himself at his desk, flung Jiis hat on the iloor, ïan his fiñgers through his songuinary locks untilthey stood up like an aureole around his head, seized pen, paper and ink and dashed off the f olio wingnote: "Mr. Lynde's conipliments to Bright fe Co. , and begs to eall their attention to the fact that their lat t and biggest sign exceeds the limite allowed them by law. " ïhis, with a snort of delight, asa warhorse that scenteth the battle afar, did Frcd receive and hasten to deliver next door, to return with answer, equallyconcise, written in a hirge, bold, but rather scrawley hand : " Bright & Co. are sorry that the signmaktr should have made such a mistake ; but unless Mr. Lynde wishes to put up a similar sign, they are at a loss to see how so slight an infringement eau interfere with him." " Oh, indeed !" said Kufus, his face almost ás üery as bis hair. "Whatremarkable coolnes.s the fellow has ! But Pil let him see he ca'i't eompletely oveishadow liis humbln ncighbur," nnd forthwith diHpatched another note : " Mr. Lynde demands Uie instant removal of tíie beforc-mentioned sign, or Mr. Lynde's lawyer will wait on Briglit & Co. this afternoon." T(i which came the short but peitinciit ïvply : "Mr. Ijynde's lawyer may vait on Bright & Co. as soon as Mr. Lynde hooses. " But it happened that Kufus couldu't gpt away from the store that day. Some great festivity, to take place that eveuing in the vieinity, sent all the boys and 3oung men in search of masculine necessities and ndornments, and the overfiow from Bright & Co. 's alone was ■sufficient to keep Rufus and his only assistant extremely busy. But as soon as night had fairly set in and the rush was over, he sent Fred, a delighted messenger - with a communication to a young lawyer; ïiiend, and, with resolution and defiance written ou his brow, and hands firmly clasped behind him, he began slovvly pacing backward and forward, his determination to flght it out with his neighbor growing stronger aai stronger every moment; for, "in the first place, it was downright shabby to set up m the very same line right next door," he repeated for the twentieth time. ' ' I couldn't and wouldn't have done it ; but, no doubt, this Bright is some selfish, grasping, eold-hearted, unpieasant fellow, not caring who he slioulders out of the way as long as he - " when suddenly the door flew open, and the roundest, plumpest, prettiest lot of a woman flew in. She wore a daiuty white apron, witli a bewitcliing bib and two cliarming pockets, and the pockets were adorned with scarlet bows, and the bil) liad a bit of scarlet geraniums pinned at the left corner, and a saucy small hat, turned up on one side and trimmed with scarlet berries and green leaves, was perched insecurely on the top of her satin-smooth black head. "Mr. Lynde!" said she, in a voice that implied "I'm not to be contra Jicted under any circumstances whatever," as she confronted Rufus. Rufus replied, "At your service," with a smile. He'd have been more than mortal if he could have looked at that bright face, with its frank, fearless gray eyps, ennning pug nose, dear little mouth, and genera] air of cheerfnl independwice, witliout suiiling. "lam Bright, Co." " And i-ightiy named," flashed tlirough Lyode'e mind; and thea his face bstrayed tÜii Kreat astoninhmout be feit, Imf' ht hivwcr nul laid not-hmf?. "You look surprised," said the little woman. "lam," said Bufus. "Ithought- I mean I was sure - that is, supposed - " " No matter what you supposed," interrupted "Bright & Co." in a marnier that in anyone else would havo been rade, bilt in her was decidedly charming. " I'm Bright- and Co., and Co., and I want to know why, in the name of pins and needles, you're so awful hateful about that sign? It can't hnrt your house - if itisyours - or you, extending ouly that far " (holding out two tiny foreñngers, with nails like wee pink shells, about half an inch f rom each other) " beyond my house - it is my house - and you know, if you have 011e grain of common sense, it can't." She paused, but Eufus said never a word. "Isuppose," the little woinan went on, shaking her pretty liead so etnphatically that the saucy hat nearly slipped off, just hanging op lier back hair in a manner that suggested to Bufus the days of his boyhood and the " Sailor's Hornpipe," "you think I have injiucd yonr business If I have, I didn't mean to. ïhe building next door was lejft to me by an old aunt, and the store was stocked from the wholesnle establishment of an old unele. Now, I couldn't set up a millinery shop or a flower store, or a confectionery with shirts and socks, and collar, and cravats and suspenderá - and such thiugs - could I ?" " Of course not," replied Biifus. "I see no way in which they could re converted into bonncts, bouquets, or candy. " " Just so," said Bright & Co., putting her right hand into lier pocket and drumïaing softly on the counter with the fingers of her left. "I took the house and thanked my lucky stars and my auntie ; and I took the goods and thanked my lucky stars again and my uncle. I placed ' Bright' over the door without any ' Miss. ' (Bufus could not explain for the life of him why he was so relieved to find it wasn't 'Mrs.,' " or Christiaii name, l)ecauso it looks more ! business-like, and I added the ' Co. ' because it sotinds well, and my small brother (the one your Fred ried to thrash the other day) is my general assistant, and my big cousin (to whom you refused to look at your window) lielps me in every way he can, though uhat isn't much, because he has his own business to attend to - " ' ' Glad Of it, " thought Bufus. ' ' And [ have a pair of lovely twin sisters only G years old, and a dear mother and grandmother to take care of - and oh ! how can you be so hateful about that sign ?" "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bufus, running his flngers wiklly tliroUgh his red - that is, his ftuburn - curls, and causng the aureole to rise again. "Don 't say another word abont it. Cover the whole of your house and mine also - ;hougli it Un't mine ; there, too, you have Jie advantage of me, as you have in anything else - with signs if you will. ' I can make a living for my mother and myself somewheie else, if not here. I have no large family depending on me, like 'Bright & Co.'" "Oh, dear, no, Mr. Lynde, that wouldn't please me at all," said the little woman; "the 'somewhere else,' you know. Stay right here. ïhere'il be room for us both after a while, I'm ure of it." Bufus looked into the rosy, earnest face with an almost lover-like smile, as Fred burst into the store shouting, "The lawyer says come to hia office at 10 o'clock to-morrow morning, andhe'll see that the old sign comes down in a jiffy." " Oh. you wicked boy ! " said Bright & Co. "Never mind that," said Bufus. "I give you my word that the sign shall remain just where it is;" and seizing his hat ho escorted her to the door, leaving Fred in the act of executiug a breakdown, illustrative of extreme astonishment, but too much astonishcd to whistle an aecompaniment. And the sign didn't come down --that ( is, t did eventually, but not until the next May, and then another, still larger, and stretching twice the distance, took its place. " Lynde, Bright & Co.," the new sign reads, and the two small stores are turnad into one large one, and ' ' Bufus Lynde " and " Bright & Co." are partners for life.